There’s more to the Cincinnati Bengals offense than what has been put on the field over the last two weeks.

Head coach Zac Taylor knows what he wants to see the offense accomplish first and foremost.

“Explosive runs,” Taylor said during his Monday presser. “I think we are so close to some home runs, and they’re coming on eight-yard carries, nine-yard carries. We’re one bit of communication, or one block in the second level away from Chase [Brown] getting a one-on-one with the safety, and then we’ll see how that plays out.”

How it plays out in Taylor’s mind is his starting running back breaks one for longer than he’s ever had in his career. For the task of elevating the offense to a new level, it is truly the needed component.

Bengals offense has been underwhelming thus far

Cincinnati ranks 20th in EPA/play and 24th in success rate on offense through its 2-0 start to the season. The Bengals have a series conversion rate (rate of which offensive series turn into more series or points) that ranks 16th in the NFL. Only nine teams are punting more often, and 18 are scoring touchdowns more often.

The passing game, built around star quarterback Joe Burrow and his elite wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, will eventually start firing on all cylinders. It’s a yearly tradition that was also foreshadowed with big plays that followed the first quarter of Sunday’s gaming against the Houston Texans.

What can’t just be assumed to pick up is the generation of big plays in the run game.

Explosives on the ground have always evaded Cincy

Running back Chase Brown has 136 yards on 36 attempts (3.8 yards per attempt) through two games. His longest rush, that has counted, went for 13 yards. He ranked 20th in EPA/rush, and success rate among 29 RBs with at least 25 touches prior to Week 2’s “Monday Night Football” game between the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.

Cincinnati’s run game featuring Brown has always been more efficient than it has been explosive. It survives by moving acceptable yardage at a time without the existence of any huge gains.

Taylor wants more from him and the offense than they’ve ever produced as a collective before.

“I think that’s an element that we’re getting really close with right now, and our guys are seeing that,” Taylor said. “[Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher] did a great job showing them every opportunity that we had that was good, but could be great. I think that’s the next element. That takes you from an 80-yard rush game to 140 when you’re hitting that 50-yard run or 60-yard run late in the game, and that’s the next element we’re looking for.”

Brown has produced exactly one rush that has gone for 40 yards in his career, all the way back in the heart of the 2024 season. Crossing the thresholds of 50 and 60 yards is now the benchmark for the rushing attack to reach.

It’s uncharted territory, but Taylor’s right. They’re close.

Chase Brown is knocking on the door for a big gain

Taylor mentioned the “eight-yard carries, nine-yard carries” from Brown are the plays that can easily become game-changing for Cincinnati. The 26-year-old did have a handful of those carries on Sunday in Houston.

One went for 26 yards on the second drive of the day and was called back for a holding penalty. A few later in the game were limited by second-level blocks going unfinished. Brown was very close to having much more than 80 yards on his 20 carries against the Texans.

The offensive line has taken heat for its porous outing in pass protection against Will Anderson and Co. The unit was much better generating movement and clearing gaps in the run game. All they needed was to spring Brown for one big gain, and the entire day could’ve went differently.

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The Bengals are being called a complete team, and they aren’t even complete yet. There’s newfound optimism in the defense carrying its weight and then some. There’s accrued trust in Burrow and the passing game getting things in order. Special teams has been virtually lights out in all facets.

If an explosive run game joins the picture, this team goes from being complete to completely untouchable.